Sounds of the Universe

That's right everyone, Depeche Mode are back with a brand new album. This will be their TWELFTH studio effort, set to hit the streets here in the US on April 21. It's amazing how they have managed to stay relevant all this time and you will not be disappointed with this release.

Overall, this is one of their darkest yet. The album sort of plays out like a career overview of their best moments, all the while sounding fresh yet different than any other DM release. As always, there are subtle layers and textures that reveal themselves with repeated listens.

From the dark, guitar-heavy, SOF&D-esque Hole To Feed, to the classic, catchy synth-pop of Fragile Tension. The song In Sympathy grooves and pulses along like a lost Violator track and the lead single Wrong is like nothing they have ever done. One thing I noticed is that there is a lack of Martin Gore vocals (he only sings on one song), but Dave Gahan sounds better than he ever has.

This is the "new classic" DM.

Here is the track list, as well as a couple songs from the album (it's hard to choose which ones 'cause they're all so good).